Accumulation of Uniform Aqueous Plugs in a Microchannel with Porous Sidewalls for Generating Arrayed Nanomembranes of Amphiphilic Molecules

We present a new microfluidic technique for generating arrayed nanoscopic membranes of amphiphilic molecules in a confined geometry. Uniform aqueous plugs were formed in an organic phase containing lipid molecules by a shear-rupturing mechanism at a cross-shaped junction. Subsequently, downstream of the junction, the organic phase between aqueous plugs was gradually removed through pseudo-porous sidewalls, and an array of planar lipid membranes could be reproducibly formed in the channel. The variations in the flow conditions produced different membrane structures.